1983
This is a list of various things that took place in 1983. Significant events :*The Road Warriors make their debut as a team in Georgia Championship Wrestling :*''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' revokes recognition of the World Wrestling Federation as a world title promotion in its magazine, citing the WWF's regionalization (limiting events to its home base in the Northeastern US) and its unwillingness to give shots at WWF Champion Bob Backlund to face challengers :*Vince McMahon withdraws the WWF's membership in the National Wrestling Alliance and embarks on his plans to expand his promotion outside the Northeast and take over the wrestling industry, beginning with syndicating his TV shows WWF Championship Wrestling and WWF All-Star Wrestling to other American TV markets :*The WWF purchases the rights to the World Women's singles and tag team titles, which were previously NWA-sanctioned titles, from The Fabulous Moolah and renames them as WWF championships :*The WWF publishes its first magazine, Victory Magazine, the predecessor to WWF Magazine. "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka, at the time the WWF's most popular superstar and who was in the midst of a brutal feud with The Magnificent Muraco, was the first cover-featured superstar. May :*31 - During a television taping of WWWF Championship Wrestling, Jimmy Snuka dives over the top rope onto The Magnificent Muraco during a pre-match confrontation. Snuka's move -- bouncing off the ropes and diving clean over the top rope onto a prone wrestler outside the ring -- is considered to be one of the first such spots in wrestling. The segment airs on the June 18 episode of Championship Wrestling. June :*2 - Hulk Hogan defeats Antonio Inoki in the final of the inaugural International Wrestling Grand Prix tournament in Tokyo, Japan August :*Southwest Championship Wrestling's program on USA Network is cancelled by the cable channel; the WWF takes over SWCW's former TV time slot with its new program, WWF All American Wrestling September :*4 - The premiere episode of the WWF's All-American Wrestling debuts on the USA Network. Hosted by Vince McMahon, the first three episodes were profiles of the WWF's top three stars of the WWF at the time: WWF Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund, Jimmy Snuka and André the Giant, using a format that would foreshadow Coliseum Video's VHS releases 1-1/2 years later. By late September 1983, the show evolved into showing classic and recent matches from across the country, not all of which were from the WWF. The show -- which later settled into a recap-type program -- was the WWF's first regular program on the USA Network (arena shows from Madison Square Garden and other New York-New Jersey-Pennsylvania-area arenas had aired the past three years) continued to air until 1994. :*10 - Wrestling at the Chase, the St. Louis Wrestling Club's program on KPLR-TV in St. Louis, ends production October :*5 - During a television taping at the Hamburg (Pennsylvania) Fieldhouse Magnificent Muraco -- during his match against jobber Victor Mercado -- famously eats a meatball sandwich and drinks a glass of soda in between wrestling. Following the match, Muraco's manager, Captain Lou Albano slips on the floor on part of the sandwich, drawing laughter from the crowd and commentators Vince McMahon, Jr. and Pat Patterson (and Muraco doing all he can to stifle his own laughter); Albano was not hurt, and the incident airs on the October 15 broadcast of WWF All-Star Wrestling and also included on Coliseum Video's "Bloopers, Bleeps and Bodyslams." Also during the same show, The Grand Wizard makes his last live appearances in his lifetime. Squash matches with him appearing in the corner for Sgt. Slaughter and The Masked Superstar will air on All-Star Wrestling the weekend of October 22, 10 days after The Grand Wizard's death, as his passing will not be announced for another week. The Grand Wizard showed no clear signs of illness. :*17 - In what has become one of wrestling's most iconic matches, "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka leaps off the top of a 15-foot high steel cage onto a prone Magnificent Muraco following their match at New York City's Madison Square Garden; the leap happens shortly after Muraco had been knocked outside the cage and inadvertently won their match, thus successfully defending his WWF Intercontinental Championship. The match is aired live on the USA Network, and in attendance at the show were future wrestling stars The Sandman, Mick Foley, Tommy Dreamer, and Bubba Ray Dudley; all of them cited this match as a major reason they decided to pursue professional wrestling. :*23 - Tommy Rich defeats Buzz Sawyer in a bloody steel cage match in Atlanta, Georgia to climax their 18-month feud; this event was dubbed The Last Battle of Atlanta and was a precursor to Hell in the Cell, as the steel cage for this match had a top :*29 - The sudden death of The Grand Wizard is acknowledged on the WWF's syndicated television programs, a rare break of kayfabe in wrestling at the time. A storyline was arranged in the following weeks, speculating who would take over as on-screen manager of wrestlers he was paired with on television. November :*24 - Jim Crockett Promotions hosts the inaugural NWA Starrcade supercard in Greensboro, North Carolina; 15,477 fans attend the live event in Greensboro, while about 30,000 fans see the show on closed-circuit TV throughout Crockett's Mid-Atlantic territory December :*2 - A Stampede Wrestling six-man main event in Calgary pitting Bret Hart, Davey Boy Smith and Sonny Two Rivers against Archie Gouldie, his kayfabe son Jeff and Bad News Allen ends with Allen turning against the Gouldies and brutalizing Jeff while Archie was incapacitated by Allen's manager K.Y. Wakamatsu and stablemate Kerry Brown, setting off a fan riot at the Victoria Pavilion and leading to Stampede Wrestling host Ed Whalen quitting the show in disgust at the end of the broadcast, concluding by stating that he no longer wanted to be part of it due to the increasing amount of violence occurring during Stampede cards (which had been occurring since Allen's arrival in the promotion). As a result of the incident, Stampede was banned from promoting in the city for six months by the Calgary Boxing and Wrestling Commission (they subsequently moved their Calgary-area events to the Sarcee Seven Chiefs Sportsplex on the Tsuu T’ina Nation reserve, which fell outside of the Commission's jurisdiction), while Gouldie turned face and began a bloody feud with Allen that climaxed with Gouldie winning his 14th (and what would be final) Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship from Allen in Calgary on December 23 :*9 - Calgary sportscaster Eric Bishop (not to be confused with Eric Bischoff) takes over as the on-air host for Stampede Wrestling following Ed Whalen's departure from the show. Bishop was later replaced as host by former wrestler-turned-announcer Sam Menacker (who had been the announcer for Dick the Bruiser's World Wrestling Association in Indianapolis), and then by Vancouver sportscaster David Pratt, before Whalen returned in 1985 when Stampede was revived :*27 - Hulk Hogan returns to the WWF at a TV taping in St. Louis Births Unknown Dates :* - Chrisjen Hayme (Huntsville, Alabama) :* - Dash Maverick (Union City, New Jersey) January :*8 - Chris Masters (Santa Monica, California) :*10 - Demolition Davies (Germany) :*13 - Trina Michaels (San Francisco, California) :*18 - Adam Thornstowe (Reno, Nevada) :*21 - Maryse (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) :*26 - Annie Social (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) February :*2 - Mia Martinez (Chicago, Illinois) :*10 - Kevin Matthews (Brooklyn, New York) :*21 - Wes Brisco (Tampa, Florida) March :*30 - Zach Gowen (Livonia, Michigan) May :*17 - Los Mochi Paco (Salt Lake City, Utah) :*18 - Matt Riviera (Russellville, Arkansas) July :*31 - Simon Sezz (Bardstown, Kentucky) August :*4 - James Morgan (Kansas City, Missouri) :*5 - Danny Demanto (Floral Park, New York) :*8 - Rampage Brown (Leeds, England) October ' :*19 - Robert Evans ''(Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) :*26 - Jake O'Reilly (Barrie, Ontario, Canada) '''November :*11 - Kristal Marshall (Los Angeles, California) :*21 - Brianna Garcia (San Diego, California) :*21 - Nicole Garcia (San Diego, California) December :*15 - Rene Dupree (Shediac, New Brunswick) Deaths March :*11 - Mayes McLain (Natural causes) May :*20 - Frank Tunney (Heart attack) :*28 - Johnny Rougeau 54 (Cancer) October :*12 - The Grand Wizard 54 (Heart attack) Debuts Unknown date *Scott Armstrong *Paul Diamond *Darren Matthews *Jushin Liger *Rick Steiner March :*5 - Cueball Carmichael June :*6 - Road Warrior Hawk :*24 - Mick Foley Events April :*24 - AWA Super Sunday June :*17 - WCCW Wrestling Star Wars July :*4 - WCCW Independence Day Star Wars August :*31 - AJPW Terry Funk Retirement September :*5 - WCCW Labor Day Star Wars :*17 - WWC 10th Anniversary Show October :*23 - The Last Battle Of Atlanta November :*24 - NWA Starrcade - "A Flair For The Gold" :*25 - WCCW Thanksgiving Star Wars December :*25 - WCCW Christmas Star Wars Title changes January :*14 - Leo Burke wins the Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship from Bret Hart in Calgary, Alberta March :*12 - Rick Steamboat and Jay Youngblood win the NWA World Tag Team Championship from Sgt. Slaughter and Don Kernodle in a steel cage match in Greensboro, North Carolina :*20 - Killer Brooks wins the NWA National Heavyweight Championship from Paul Orndorff in Atlanta (Larry Zbyszko, who had been unable to legitimately win the title from Orndorff, then buys the title from Brooks for $25,000 and proclaims himself the champion) April :*16 - Roddy Piper wins the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship from Greg Valentine in Greensboro :*24 - Hulk Hogan wins the AWA World Heavyweight Championship from Nick Bockwinkel in a no-disqualification match in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but the decision is overturned moments later by AWA President Stanley Blackburn and the title is returned to Bockwinkel :*30 - Larry Zbyszko is stripped of the NWA National title by NWA President Bob Geigel, who rules Zbyszko's purchase of the title from Killer Brooks illegal under NWA bylaws; Greg Valentine regains the NWA United States title from Roddy Piper in Greensboro, causing Piper permanent hearing loss as a result of bashing Piper in the side of the head with the US title belt May :*3 - Bret Hart regains the Stampede North American title from Leo Burke in Regina, Saskatchewan :*10 - Curt Hennig wins the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship from Abdulah Ali Hassan in Portland, Oregon June :*5 - Larry Zbyszko wins the vacant NWA National title in a tournament final over Mr. Wrestling II in Atlanta :*10 - Harley Race wins the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from Ric Flair in St. Louis, Missouri; Race subsequently vacates his NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship with the World title win :*18 - Jack and Jerry Brisco win the NWA World Tag Team title from Rick Steamboat and Jay Youngblood in Greenville, South Carolina :*26 - The Sheiks (Jerry Blackwell and Ken Patera) win the AWA World Tag Team Championship from The High Flyers (Jim Brunzell and Greg Gagne) in Minneapolis July :*15 - Ric Flair wins the vacant NWA Missouri title in a tournament final over David Von Erich in St. Louis :*16 - Bad News Allen wins the Stampede North American title from Bret Hart in Edmonton, Alberta August :*9 - Timothy Flowers defeats Randy Rich to win the vacant NWA Pacific Television Championship in Burnaby, British Columbia September :*7 - Dynamite Kid wins the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Curt Hennig in Seattle, Washington :*16 - David Von Erich defeats Ric Flair for the NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship in St. Louis October :*3 - Rick Steamboat and Jay Youngblood regain the NWA World Tag Team title from Jack and Jerry Brisco in Greenville, South Carolina :*7 - Billy Jack Haynes wins the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Dynamite Kid in Salem, Oregon :*21 - Jack and Jerry Brisco regain the NWA World Tag Team title from Rick Steamboat and Jay Youngblood in Greenville, South Carolina November :*24 - Ric Flair regains the NWA World Heavyweight Championship by beating Harley Race in a steel cage match (with Gene Kiniski as the guest referee) at Starrcade 1983 in Greensboro; Rick Steamboat and Jay Youngblood regain the NWA World Tag Team title from Jack and Jerry Brisco at Starrcade 1983; Charlie Brown wins the NWA World Television Championship from The Great Kabuki at Starrcade 1983 :*30 - Rip Oliver wins the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Billy Jack Haynes in Seattle December :*14 - Billy Jack Haynes wins the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Rip Oliver in Seattle :*23 - Archie Gouldie wins the Stampede North American title from Bad News Allen in a steel cage match in Calgary :*25 - The NWA World Tag Team title, last held by Rick Steamboat and Jay Youngblood, is vacated when Steamboat announces his retirement; Rip Oliver wins the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Billy Jack Haynes in Seattle :*26 - The Iron Sheik wins the WWF Heavyweight Championship from Bob Backlund in New York City See also Category:Wrestling Years